Belle Glade Men Sentenced To Death For Slayings

December 25, 1986|By JEAN DUBAIL, Staff Writer

Two Belle Glade men received two death sentences each Wednesday for the slayings of a convenience-store clerk and a tavern customer during a bloody rampage through suburban West Palm Beach six months ago.

Neither Leonard Spencer, 28, nor Vernon Amos, 23, showed any emotion as Circuit Judge Richard Burk condemned them to die for acts committed ``with no more emotion or thought than it would take to swat a fly.``

Spencer`s mother, Ola Mae Simmons, immediately denounced the judge`s decision, saying her son was not in control of himself when he committed the crimes.

``It`s not right,`` Simmons said. ``He has a mental problem.``

Craig Boudreau, Amos` attorney, said the death sentences were too harsh, even if his client was guilty of the crimes.

``Vernon Amos was treated all along like he was presumed guilty,`` Boudreau said. ``But I believe my client`s not guilty. I really do.``

But Shirley Denson, grandmother of one victim`s children, said the sentences were just.

``I am happy with the court`s decision on both counts, Spencer and Amos,`` she said.

Spencer and Amos were convicted Nov. 21 of committing a string of crimes early June 13, beginning with the robbery of the Mr. Grocer store at Military Trail and Gun Club Road.

According to police reports and courtroom testimony, store clerk Allen McAninch, 29, was shot and killed by one of the men during the robbery. The other man shot and wounded a customer, Terry Howard, before fleeing the store and stealing his car.

After abandoning Howard`s car, Amos and Spencer tried to steal Robert Bragman`s truck from the parking lot of the English Pub on Military Trail. Bragman, also 29, was shot and killed when he resisted.

The pair abandoned Bragman`s truck minutes later and fled on foot north on Military Trail. They were sighted by a man who had heard reports of the robberies on a radio scanner in his car.

The man, Allen Sedenka, dialed 911 from a nearby phone booth. As he gave information about the pair to the operator, Amos and Spencer ran up and ordered him to drive them away.

When Sedenka refused, the two stole his car and drove off. Part of this incident was captured on the 911 tape, which was played to jurors in court.

Amos was captured not long after the pair abandoned Sedenka`s car. Howard and Sedenka both identified him in a police lineup.

Spencer was not captured until several weeks later. His fingerprints, however, matched those left on a Mountain Dew can at the Mr. Grocer.

Boudreau maintained throughout the trial that Amos was Spencer`s unwilling partner in the crimes. He repeatedly noted that no one saw a gun in Amos` hand.

Nelson Bailey, Spencer`s attorney, argued that the crimes actually were committed by a third man, Edward Cain, who was with Spencer and Amos earlier in the evening. Bailey said Spencer left the Mr. Grocer and went home as soon as he realized Cain and Amos were bent on robbery.

Neither Spencer nor Amos testified during the trial.

Boudreau wanted Amos to take the stand, but refused to let him do so under conditions Burk imposed.

The judge wanted Amos to first testify outside the jury`s presence so that Spencer and Bailey would know what the testimony would be before the jury heard it. That would give them the opportunity to counteract that testimony if necessary.

Each of the two men also was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated battery and four robberies.

State sentencing guidelines call for prison terms of 22 to 27 years for the attempted murder and robbery charges, Burk said, but he handed down life sentences for each of these crimes.

The judge said he exceeded the guidelines because the crimes were committed along with two murders in a steadily escalating train of violence. He also noted that Amos and Spencer ``cannot be rehabilitated or made to live within the law.``

The same jury that convicted Spencer and Amos recommended two death sentences for Spencer. They recommended a death sentence for Amos in the murder of Bragman, but suggested he serve a life sentence, with no parole for 25 years, for the murder of McAninch.

Burk accepted the jury`s recommendations concerning Spencer, but overruled jurors in giving Amos two death sentences.

The judge also turned aside Boudreau`s argument that Amos, who gave a lengthy statement to police soon after his arrest, deserves mercy because of his willingness to cooperate. He said there was no evidence of such cooperation, ``other than the defendant`s own self-serving statements.``

``All the cooperation amounted to was (his claiming) that Leonard Spencer did all the crimes,`` Burk said.

``Regardless if it`s self-serving or not, it`s the truth,`` Boudreau said later.

Appeals of death sentences are automatic. Boudreau said Burk`s refusal to let Amos testify unconditionally would form the core of his appeal.

``We`re going to win a retrial and my client`s going to come back and testify,`` Boudreau said.

He criticized the judge`s assumption that Amos, who was never seen with a gun in his hand, had one with him from the beginning of the crime spree.

``There was no evidence in the trial that he ever possessed a firearm,`` Boudreau said, adding that his client had no history of violence.